Chris Christie Lied About His “Closed Beach” Vacation. His Excuse Is Humiliating

After New Jersey governor Chris Christie signed an executive order yesterday ordering the state government to be shut down, the “least popular governor in America” immediately left for vacation at the state-owned Island Beach State Park, a destination that was – because of him – closed to the public this July 4th weekend. At a news conference, Christie was asked if he had gone to the beach that day, which the governor flatly denied.

“I didn’t. I didn’t get any sun today.”

Unfortunately for Christie, photos immediately emerged on social media of the New Jersey governor relaxing with his family on a sprawling beach. Brian Murray, the governor’s spokesman, was forced to clarify Christie’s response, leaning heavily on semantics and literal interpretation.

“Yes, the governor was on the beach briefly today talking to his wife and family before heading into the office. He did not get any sun. He had a baseball hat on.”

I suppose I failed to realize that simply wearing a baseball hat effectively cancels out his presence there.

While Christie enjoyed the weekend on his now completely private beach along with his family, New Jersey residents, meanwhile, were turned away from the popular tourist destination throughout the weekend. Tourism accounts for nearly 7 percent of New Jersey’s entire state economy.

The governor had better enjoy his private island this 4th of July weekend. After a humiliating rebuke by Trump and a 15 percent approval rating in New Jersey – the lowest “for any governor measured in any state in more than 20 years” – his political career is effectively all but over.